Reply To This Post         Return to Posts Index           VegSource Home

From:	Claudia (197.117.124.24.cm.sunflower.com)
Subject:	Question #4
Date:	September 6, 2007 at 2:43 pm PST

In Reply to: Re: Need to keep fat low and calories high posted by Andy on September 6, 2007 at 2:21 am:

4. What does Dr. Fuhrman think of green tea? I find it very helpful
with my condition and, having HUGE loads of phytochemicals and
no calories, its nutrient density is infinite. ;-)

That is funny, but if you divide by 0 calories, doesn't that mean the
nutrient density is 'undefined'? (giggle, giggle).

Dr. Fuhrman has said that green tea supplies some favorable
compounds found in green plants, and that those benefits
overwhelm the exposure to caffeine. In other words he is saying it
probably does more good than harm. I personally wouldn't touch
the stuff though since I am very sensitive to caffeine, and don't like
the effect it has on me, even in small amounts. As for the de-
caffeinated varieties, Dr. F. points out that you would have to worry
about whether chemical residues had been left from the caffeine
removal process, and that he doesn't have all the answers on that
one.

Earlier I mentioned that nutrient density doesn't tell the whole story
in terms of the healthfulness of a food, and that specific important
nutrients found in a food play a role as well. Another thing that
plays a role is whether or not the food contains toxic, or unhealthy
components that would over-ride its healthful attributes. For
example, you could talk about the nutrients in cheese, and mention
things like calcium, but due to the fact that it is extremely high in
saturated fat, the nutrient density really wouldn't matter, and this
would still be a food to be avoided if you want to protect your
health. In the case of the green tea, however, Dr. Fuhrman thinks it
is seems okay. On the other hand, if you are consuming plenty of
green leaves from other sources than tea, and if they were
supplying the same nutrients, but without the caffeine, then I think
that would be preferable to the tea. Just thinking out loud here.

Reply To This Post         Return to Posts Index           VegSource Home